The Wolf of Hufflepuff
by ElizaDoALot
Summary: Teddy Lupin hopes Hogwarts is as fantastical as his godfather Harry had been telling him. Fingers crossed that he is sorted into the house of his choice, has made friends quickly, and hopes to get good marks. However, his family's past brings up new challenges, prejudice and foes for him to face. Can Teddy make it through his first year without being killed, or worse...expelled?
1. Chapter 1

**CHAPTER ONE: Edward Remus Lupin**

Nymphadora Tonks cradled her newborn son closely, her tired eyes not wondering from his peaceful face. His tufty hair had changed colour in the last half-an-hour from black to ginger, not to the surprise of his mother. Tonks wished that her father Ted could see her son, as did Mrs Tonks, who claimed that the baby's sleeping state was reminiscent of her late husband.

Hearing a knock at the door, Tonks lifted her gaze from the baby. "Come in." She softly called.

Remus Lupin, her husband, popped his head around the door. He walked over to the bed and gently sat down at its foot, hoping not to jostle Tonks or the baby. "How are you feeling?" He asked; his green eyes wandered to the sleeping baby and his shock of ginger hair.

"Tired, but happy." Tonks replied.

"I'm just glad that both of you are safe and healthy, and that our son takes after his mother," Remus smiled and ran his hand carefully down Tonks' cheek in comfort. Looking at his son, Remus again smiled and ran a finger down his son's cheek, much like he did with Tonks.

Her eyebrow knotted together and her nose wrinkled. "I think Ted looks like you."

"Ted?" Remus asked in surprise.

Tonks stared at him. "Yeah. I wanted to name him after my dad; he couldn't wait to see the baby once he was born, and now… he's not here. So I decided to honour his memory." She looked at the baby.

"So, Edward, then? After a brave man who fought to the end; it's nice."

"Yeah, it's a nice name, but a bit formal." Her eyebrows knotted together again. "I want to name Ted after another brave man as well,"

Remus raised an eyebrow. "Who? I can understand if Ted's middle name was Alastor: he was your mentor after all,"

Tonks began to chuckle. "No, you daft man. I want to name him after you!"

Remus paused and stared at Tonks in shock. "Me?" He quietly questioned. "I'm not a brave man… I left you alone. I abandoned you because I was scared for Teddy. I didn't want him to be like me…"

"Well he's not like you at all Remus!" Tonks scolded him. Her voice softened when Teddy squealed. "At least we won't know till the next full moon."

Remus sighed. "That still doesn't mean that you should name him after me."

"Remus, I'm naming our son after because you fight so that Teddy and many other children can live in a world where there is not threat from a dark wizard. So don't think that you are not brave." Tonks glared at Remus, her dark eyes a light with fire.

Looking up at Tonks, Remus again sighed, admiring her courage to call out his inner Gryffindor. "Fine. Edward Remus Lupin it is."

"So we have a little boy, named Teddy Remus Lupin." Tonks wickedly grinned.

Remus grinned as well, though not as wickedly. "Yes, I think we do." He paused and considered what Tonks had just said: _we have a little boy, named Teddy Remus Lupin_. Teddy's name swam in Remus' mind. The thought of having a little boy to love and cherish forever, the thought of having a Metamorphmagus child with wild hair colours and no werewolf blood in him whatsoever made Remus jump in the air and cheer. He ran out of the room, grabbed his hat and coat by the front door cheering and laughing as he ran away from the house.

"Where are you going?" Mrs Tonks shouted out.

"To find my son's godfather!" Remus hollered back; whooping again, he charged down the road, heading towards Shell Cottage, half-a-mile away.

* * *

><p>It was late when Remus came back to the house. Mrs Tonks had gone to bed, so Tonks was the one to softly creep downstairs and let Remus in; his face was pink from the wind biting his cheeks and the smell of firewhiskey gentle on his breath. Upon opening the door, Tonks was swept off her feet and twirled around the room, much to her bewilderment. When Remus set her down, she walked toward the kitchen and began to make a pot of tea, setting a dark blue teapot on the table along with two mismatched mugs (one with multi-coloured spots, and the other with pink and yellow flowers). As Tonks placed the kettle on the stove, the cries of Teddy could be heard, causing Tonks to huff and run a hand through her baby-blue hair; Remus could see his wife's distress calmed her by kissing her forehead and whispering, "I'll go see to Ted, you stay and make the tea."<p>

Walking up the stairs, Teddy's cries became louder and louder. Remus looked over to Mrs Tonks' bedroom door to find it closed; looking over to Tonks' bedroom, her door was wide-open, revealing her unmade bed and her bedside lamp causing a soft glow to creep up the walls.

Remus entered the room and peeped at Teddy's cot, where the newborn was screaming and his hair an angry red. He strode over to the cot and gingerly picked up the still-screaming Teddy and began to rock him, much like he remembered when Harry Potter was this small. Remus racked his brain for the lullaby that his mother used to sing when he had nightmares as a child; he froze his thoughts to discover that Teddy has stopped crying, and was softly snoring with one arm dangling, and the other tucked by his head. Remus could only watch Teddy in amazement: his once red hair was now a calm blue, like the sea on a mild day.

"Is that what you were after, then?" He chuckled. "Just some attention?" Remus wandered around the room, still rocking Teddy; he enjoyed the sensation of feeling Teddy breathe against his chest, the tickle of downy baby hair against his arm. Stopping at the large bedroom window, Remus watched the night sky and listened to the wind rattle at the windows. The rattling became louder, and startled Teddy, just the whistling of the kettle; Remus walked away from the window, towards Teddy's cot and settled the baby down, covering him in a tartan blanket as well as twirling the mobile that hung above the cot.

Coming down the stairs and into the kitchen, Remus found Tonks had fallen asleep. Her hair had returned to its usual bubblegum pink and her hand curled around her mug of tea, with a small plate of biscuits placed between the two mugs on the table. Remus beamed at his wife's sleeping form before tenderly lifting Tonks out of her seat and up to her room, where Teddy was now blissfully asleep.

Settling Tonks down as he did with Teddy, Remus carefully laid the patchwork quilt over Tonks' body before kissing her on the forehead. Remus checked on Teddy before he left the room, softly chuckling at his son's bubblegum-pink hair, who mirrored his mother.

Remus tiptoed down the stairs and into the living-room, plumping a pillow up. He placed that and a fleecy blanket on the tatty threadbare sofa, producing a makeshift bed. Staring out of the window, Remus caught sight of the moon; he wasn't one for praying, but Remus silently prayed that Teddy would not be affected like he is, hoping that his son wouldn't have to go through the same pain as he has to when the moon is full.

_I dearly wish that Teddy would live an untainted life, where he could be free of the horror, discomfort and pain; I want my son to go to school, make friends and not have to worry about lying to them. So please, if there is someone who is listening, please listen to this._

Closing his eyes, Remus dreamed of a house in Tinworth, where a small blue-haired boy, a pink-haired woman and a tired old man where chasing each other playfully across a beach, surrounded by laughter and sunlight. More children chased after them along the beach, themselves laughing with joy, not having a single care about running with a werewolf and just being happy and grinning children.

* * *

><p>It was the first of May. A day of grey clouds, no wind or sun. Teddy had begun to open his eyes and his hair had settled as a soft blue, but the colour could not be decided. Over the past two weeks, many pictures had been taken with Mr Tonks' old muggle camera of Teddy, most of them including him and either one or both of his parents.<p>

However, though times in the Tonks house were peaceful, in the wizard world, the threat of You-Know-Who and his rising power had set in, causing fear to spread. The threat of war had fallen, also, and it was only a matter of time before Harry would show his face after many months of hiding and defeat the Dark Lord for good. When news of the dragon at Gringotts breaking free of its shackles reached the house, Remus and Tonks knew that it was time to ready themselves for the Second Wizarding War to end.

"I still think we should write a letter," Tonks said. She was letting Teddy play with her fingers, looking at the ink and parchment that had been set out on the table and left there for three days.

Remus pinched the bridge of his nose. "But what for? He will be reminded of the pain every time he is told about the war when he is at Hogwarts."

Placing her hand on his, Tonks looked Remus in the face. "Writing a letter would dull the pain, would it not? It would let him know that we love him, and that we never imagined that this would happen."

Mrs Tonks stormed over to her daughter and son-in-law, pain riddled across her face. "What are you both talking about? You both are strong and capable of coming out of this war alive. Don't you _dare think_ or even _dream_ about the worse outcome for this. The best thing at the moment is to enjoy the light that is in the world: that little baby, right there. This is the happiest I've seen you both in months, so enjoy it before this war could possibly tear this family apart again."

Pinching the bridge of his nose once again, Remus heavily sighed. "Dora is right," He said. "We should write a letter to Ted. If we should not make it out of this war, we might as well let him know how dearly he was loved by both of us."

Tonks grinned. "Slip in a few photographs as well. It be a nice touch and remind him of the happy times we spent together."

Mrs Tonks widely smiled at the two and their devotion. She silently prayed that they would make it out of the war alive, for her sake and Teddy's.

The letter had been written and sealed with several photographs. Once the word of Harry's arrival at Hogwarts had been heard, Remus and Tonks set of for the castle, leaving Teddy sleeping soundly and Mrs Tonks watching them both apparate to the Hogwarts grounds.

* * *

><p>It wasn't till the late morning of May second, whilst giving Teddy his morning bottle that Mrs Tonks had received a knock at the door from Harry Potter with words that she had been dreading to hear the moment that Remus and Tonks had left the house:<p>

"I'm so sorry, Mrs Tonks, but Nymphadora and Remus have died fighting in this war, leaving behind both yourself and Teddy."


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Kudos to the lovely people who have favourited or followed my story! That means the world to me! This story is a bit of a slow burner till Teddy actually DOES get to Hogwarts, but until then, I just want to throw in nice chapters like this. I forgot to add a discliamer at the beginning of the last chapter (which is pretty stupid of me) but I will add one this time!**

**IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER: These characters, though I love them throughly, are not mine. All characters mentioned (other then specified by me) belong to the wonderfully talented JK Rowling.  
><strong>

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><p><strong>CHAPTER TWO : HAPPY BIRTHDAY<strong>

Almost eleven years had passed since Remus Lupin had come storming into Shell Cottage to announce that Tonks had given birth to a little boy. The once baby Teddy was now a tall boy with bottle green eyes and a never permanent hair colour (although it was mainly bright blue). He had been living with his grandmother in the Tonks house; his mother's bedroom had now become his own, where photographs of his cousins, aunts and uncles all laughing and smiling had been stuck to the doors of his wardrobe, clothes littered the floor constantly and a poster of the Falmouth Falcons Quidditch team had been pinned to the back of his door.

Andromeda Tonks carefully stepped into her grandson's room, before flourishing her wand and flicked it to open the curtains, letting bright sunshine to light up the room.

"Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday dear Teddy, Happy Birthday to you!" Mrs Tonks sung loudly.

Teddy groaned, placing his duvet further over his head. "Gran! It's too early to be awake!"

"It is nine o'clock on the morning," Mrs Tonks said.

Teddy popped his head out from under the duvet, his hair rumpled. "Early." He placed his head back under the covers.

Mrs Tonks rolled her eyes. "Well then," She said, hands on her hips. "I might as well tell the others downstairs to leave."

Teddy again popped his head from under the covers and stared at his grandmother with wide eyes. "What others? You haven't invited those muggle kids from next door have you? Merlin are they _dull_!"

"Edward! Don't be so rude about Michael and Sarah, they're lovely children. And, no, I haven't invited them."

At that moment, a sudden storm of small children came rushing into Teddy's room and leapt onto his bed, jumping up and down excitedly and shouting: "WAKE UP TEDDY! IT'S YOUR BIRTHDAY!" Ginger hair swarmed Teddy's vision till he recognised the beaming faces of cousins Dominique and James. Both children laughed as they sat on Teddy's stomach and chest, forcing the wind out of him.

Chuckling, Teddy counted. "Only two gremlins? Where are the others?"

"Vic didn't wanna wake you up and the others are too small." James quickly said.

Teddy knotted his eyebrows. "Al can – well, Al can toddle up, but with help, so I can see that."

She walked over to the bedside table and picked up the forgotten tray. "Go and run downstairs, everyone won't wait all day for you." Teddy leapt out of bed, causing the others to tumble and land running after him downstairs.

Teddy entered the living room to cheers and a chorus of 'Happy Birthday'. Even though he was happy seeing his family, Teddy felt embarrassed with them all seeing him in his pyjamas; upon noticing his hair changing from blue to a soft pink, highlighting his embarrassment. His attempt to leave the room failed, as baby Lily Luna and Albus Severus toddled over and grabbed his feet tightly, weighing him down and making him wobble, much to the giggles and coos of his aunts and uncles.

Dominique, James and Albus ran over to the small pile of presents, only to be stopped by Harry. "Breakfast is in order first, don't you think?"

All the children cheered and piled into the small kitchen. Finding that nothing had been set out, they all groaned and looked towards their parents and Mrs Tonks for an explanation.

Harry held up a picnic basket. "It's such a nice day out, so I thought - well, Mrs Tonks thought, that we should have a huge picnic out near the beach? What do you think, huh?"

Giggling like hyenas, Dominique, James and Victoire raced out into the small garden and toward the rickety back gate. Lily and Hugo, being only a year old, were carried by their mothers Hermione and Ginny; Louis, being older, however still wobbly once he was on his feet, was given a piggy-back ride by his father Bill Weasley. Teddy ran after his cousins, only to feel a hand placed on his shoulder; letting out a small gasp, Teddy turned to see his grandmother holding some clothes and a pair of trainers. Huffing, he took the clothes and shoes out from her hands and chased after his family.

* * *

><p>The picnic had been laid out and looked like a Hogwarts feast! There was crispy bacon; grilled sausages; mouth-watering plates of waffles and pancakes; a large platter of fruit had been laid out as well, and was being attacked by Lily, Hugo and Louis. Teddy, Dominique and James were playing by the sea, splashing each other when the waves got too close, whilst Victoire and Albus built sand castles with the buckets and spades bought out from Shell Cottage.<p>

The adults sat on the blanket laughing and snapping photos of their children's antics. It was light-hearted between them all till Fleur said, "So 'ow iz your job at ze Ministry, 'Arry?"

Harry, finishing his gulp of orange juice, nodded. "It's going well, thanks for asking Fleur. There had been a small problem about ghouls troubling people in South Wales, but that's all cleared up now."

"If that ghoul problem had cleared up, wherever did you get that cut on your face Harry?" Hermione questioned, removing a plastic fork from Hugo's meaty hands.

Harry's gaze widened, then quickly softened. "This?" He pointed to the graze the started from under his right eye and ended at his jaw bone. "Auror training. I was duelling with one of the trainees, and she caught me by accident. You should've seen the look on her face, it was priceless."

Ginny swatted Harry's arm playfully. "I hope you didn't make that girl feel bad about it, like you did with Robbie Blaydon. You know he left to become a healer."

Ron choked on his drink. "Blimey Harry, I didn't think you were capable of being that mean to some poor kid who couldn't wait to train with you."

"Not one of my prouder moments, but I did send him a formal apology and some flowers."

Ron raised a questioning eyebrow at his friend. "Mate, you sent a man flowers?"

Before Harry could answer, drops of rain began to fall from the greying sky.

* * *

><p>Everyone made it back to the Tonks' house, but not quick enough, it seemed, as everyone walked in looking like drowned rats. Mrs Tonks had laid out some mugs of tea for the adults and hot chocolate for the children, handing out woollen blankets and asking Harry to start getting the fire going good and strong to dry everyone's clothes.<p>

* * *

><p>With their clothes now drying off and bellies warm, the younger children were adamant that Teddy open some of his presents. "Go on Teddy please! Pretty please?" James' eyelashes fluttered.<p>

Rolling his eyes, Teddy nodded. "Go on then."

With a collective gasp of excitement, all the children rushed towards the pile, and stocking their arms with gifts.

"Okay, Teddy, this one first," James confidently said with a big grin on his freckled face. The present was decorated with red and gold shiny paper, with a blue bow stuck in one corner.

Carefully removing the wrapping, Teddy's eyes widened at his gift: a Do-It-Yourself broom care kit, complete with little silver shears for stray bristles and handle polish. "Uncle Harry, Auntie Ginny, thank you so much for this! This is a lovely present, can't wait to use it on your old broom Aunt Ginny!"

Harry and Ginny smiled at each other, a twinkle of glee set into them. They had been arguing over the past few years about buying Teddy a broom for his eleventh birthday, but when Ginny retired from professional Qudditch to settle down with Harry, they saved her old broom, and gave it to him for Christmas.

Ron handed the boy another gift, this time with blue plain wrapping, like a brown paper package from the post office. "Here Ted, this one's from your Aunt Hermione and myself."

"Thanks Uncle Ron," Teddy smiled. Opening the present, Teddy received an assortment of sweets from Honeyduke's: Peppermint Imps, a few Chocolate Frogs, Liquorice Wands, and several Cauldron Cakes and Pumpkin Pasties. "All these sweets for me? Are you serious, Uncle Ron?"

"I tried to dissuade him, Teddy," Hermione spoke instead of Ron. "But, so you don't have to buy any on the Hogwarts Express, we thought we'd buy some for you."

"But how?" Teddy asked. "Some of these will probably go stale in the next few days."

"Aha, that's where a little extra surprise comes in!" Ron's eyes twinkled. "Your aunt Hermione had developed a little charm on the box, so that the food remains fresh, like a muggle fridge."

Teddy's mouth was agape. "Wow! That's so cool! Thanks Aunt Hermione!" He stood up and hugged Hermione.

The presents that followed were: a Wizard Chess set from Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione; an Exploding Snap pack, a copy of _Curses and Counter-Curses _by Vindictus Viridian and _Qudditch through the Ages _by Kenilworth Wisp from Uncle Bill and Aunt Fleur. Finally, it came to Mrs Tonks' present. She headed towards the cupboard-under-the-stairs, where she pulled out two packages and a letter.

"Here you are Teddy," She said, handing them to her grandson. "One of the presents are mine, the other present and the letter are something quite special."

Teddy gazed at the present that was obviously from him grandmother: the wrapping paper was green (his favourite colour) and was tied with a blue bow. Contemplating for a moment, he cautiously opened it, carefully removing the wrapping and bow (for Mrs Tonks' presents were always very special, so they had to be dealt with great care). The paper, once removed, revealed a photo album; opening it, Teddy gazed upon the faces his parents, his Potter and Weasley cousins, and baby pictures of himself. His mouth agape, he turned each page to reveal more and more pictures of his family till he reached the middle, where all that was stuck to the page was a letter, written in Mrs Tonks' neat, curly hand.

Mrs Tonks' kissed Teddy's white hair. "Happy Birthday, Edward."

Teddy said nothing to retort to his grandmother using his full name, to the surprise of all the adults; he kept staring at the letters. Facing his grandmother, he placed the album by his feet, and ran towards her: Teddy enveloped his grandmother into the tightest hug he had ever given anyone. "Thank you, so, so, so much, Gran," Teddy said, tears starting to form in his bottle-green eyes. "This is such a wonderful present. I cannot thank you enough."

Kissing his hair again, which had reverted back to its original blue colour again, Mrs Tonks began to cry herself.

Harry coughed loudly and stood up. "I'm sorry to ruin such a tender moment, Andromeda, but Gin and I need to get the children home, so they can get ready for tonight."

Mumbling ensued between the adults; getting up themselves and readying their children, despite their groans and mumbles. With goodbyes said, hugs given and kisses received, the Weasley-Potter families apparated to London, Godric's Hollow, and Ottery St. Catchpole. Mrs Tonks sighed, and began to tidy up the living room of the torn wrapping paper. "You can open the letters now, Teddy," She called out.

Pulling Teddy out of a trance-like state, he walked into the kitchen and sat at the large teak dining table. Gently pulling the letter from the page, he opened it, and read:

_Dearest Edward,_

_I know you do not like to be called 'Edward', but you were named after your grandfather, who was the best, and bravest man I have ever, ever known._

_If you are reading this, it means that I have given you the photo album. Whether it be your birthday or at Christmas, this is my gift. All these pictures are from summer holiday, every Christmas, and every birthday that you have ever shared with the Weasley-Potters; the first few pages will be filled with pictures of you and your parents before they died._

_Your parents loved you so very much, you have to understand that, Teddy. They loved you so much, that they died trying to keep our world safe, and so that you did not have to live in fear of a corrupt government and a deranged wizard._

_I hope that looking at these pictures will remind you of one important thing: that love is the most powerful magic in the world._

_Happy Birthday, my wonderful, wonderful grandson._

_Love,_

_Gran_

Teddy smiled and placed the letter down on the table. "Thank you Gran," He said. "Thank you so much for being the greatest gran in all of the world."

Mrs Tonks beamed and placed the spoon down. Walking over and kissing Teddy on the cheek, she pinched it and ruffled his hair. "And you are the greatest grandson in all of the world." Kissing him of the cheek again, Mrs Tonks went back to mixing the Victoria Sponge mixture.

"Gran," Teddy spoke.

"What's the matter Sweetie?"

"Can I open the other letter now?"

Mrs Tonks looked up from the bowl. "What letter?"

"The one you took out with the photo album from under the stairs. That one."

"Of course," Mrs Tonks said. "There's nothing stopping you, Ted. Go on and get it.

Leaving the table, Teddy walked into the living room and picked up the letter, which had been laying on the beige carpet, where his other presents were sitting. Looking at the faded envelope and the spidery handwriting, Teddy guessed that the letter was from his parents, and written sometime before they died.

Opening it with care, Teddy pulled out the letter, only to have some photographs fall out and land on the floor. Huffing at his clumsiness, Teddy picked them up, and noticed that there were dates written on the back of them, in a hand different to the one that was written on the envelope. Staring, Teddy read the dates: _7-4-1998_, _8-4-1998_, _9-4-1998_ and two other pictures from the days following; each picture taken included Teddy as a tiny newborn with emerald-green coloured hair, his mother Nymphadora and her bubble-gum pink hair, and his father Remus, who looked like he had run through a thorny bush, as small nicks littered his face and there was a very large cut across his nose.

"Where are these from?"

Mrs Tonks walked over to Teddy and looked at the photographs in his hands. She placed her hand over her mouth in shock. "Those, those Teddy," She told him, her voice beginning to become a little shaky. "Those are pictures of you and your parents, in April."

Teddy sat on the sofa, flicking through the very few pictures. "Really?"

"Yes, that was you and you parents not long after your father ran all the way from here to Shell Cottage to tell Uncle Bill, Auntie Fleur and Uncle Harry."

Teddy giggled. "He never told me that part… But that's a mile and a half! How did Dad run all that without getting tired?"

Mrs Tonks raised her eyebrow. "After all that reading that you've done on werewolves? I'm quite surprised at you, Edward."

Teddy thought for a moment; when he realised, his face lit up like a light-bulb. "Oh yeah, cause he was a werewolf." He smiled widely.

Mrs Tonks shook her head; she laughed and ruffled Teddy's blue hair. "I worry about you sometimes, Edward. Go on, read the letter."

Removing the letter from the envelope, the yellowing paper crinkled a little. Opening it carefully, Teddy began to read the letter:

_To our Funny Little Boy,_

_Your mother and I are about to face a battle, and it's nothing like we have ever faced before. We both know that we might not make it out alive, so this letter is for you. Right now, you're being held by your mother: she's letting you play with her fingers, and both of you are changing hair colours rapidly to match, which your grandmother finds amusing. Right now, I am writing this letter, if you haven't guessed already, I'm your father, Remus._

_Know this, Teddy: you are loved. Everyone loves and will love you, so do not think that because of your bright green hair, your piggy-morphed nose or who your parents were, you will be treated like an outsider. Your gift is so very special: each day you are reminding me that you are the most wonderful thing that has ever happened in my life (don't tell your Uncle Harry or your mother I said that). Just know, Teddy: we loved you, so very, very much, and we still love you even today. I hope that, thanks to us (but with a lot of thanks to Uncle Harry), that you live in a safe and loving world were you will not be feared._

_If my mathematics is correct, the day you're reading this you be your eleventh birthday. I hope that this letter and the pictures will make up for our lack of present (that is, if we come out of this war). Also, your Hogwarts letter will be arriving any day now! I hope you have many happy years spending time at Hogwarts, I know that your mother and I did, that's for sure._

_Lots, Lots, Lots of Love, _

_Mum and Dad_

Teddy read and re-read his father's words over and over. He couldn't help but to notice the similarities between their handwriting: Remus wrote his the s', the t's and the g's all in the same way Teddy did, and it made a feeling of pride swell up in him like a balloon being blown up with helium. Letting his finger trace along his father's words, Teddy couldn't help but let out a sigh of sadness; he could feel tears leave pinpricks at the back of his eyes, making them ache a little. Smiling, he slipped the letter back into the envelope.

"Well?" Mrs Tonks asked. She had been sitting next to Teddy with the bowl of cake batter in her lap, watching his face and switching her glances between him and letter. "What did it say?"

Teddy looked at Mrs Tonks, and let his façade fade: his eyes were pink, with tears sitting in the corners of his eyes. "They loved me, Gran, they said they loved me." Leaping on his grandmother to give her a bear-hug, Teddy cause the bowl to fall onto the floor, dirtying the carpet, but he did care.

Mrs Tonks stroked Teddy's hair and rubbed his back, letting his tears drip into the fabric of her apron. "Of course they did, you silly billy, of course they did! Why on earth would you think that?"

Sniffing, Teddy sat back into the sofa. "I didn't think that, I just wanted to hear it from them, rather than you and Uncle Harry." Catching his notice, Teddy saw the ruined bowl of cake batter. "Oh no, I ruined the cake!"

Mrs Tonks beamed. "No matter," She said, wiping the remaining tears away from Teddy's eyes. "We can make a new one."

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><p><strong>Hi! Yep, me again, sorry. If any of you guys want to leave comments to let me know what you think of TWOH and if there is anything you want to suggest for future chapters, please let me know! I'd love to here what you guys think and what you would like to see.<strong>


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Hiya everyone, me again! I can see there's a lot of people really enjoying my story! That's so amazing! But, to get back onto what I was going to say: This time, I've upped the ages of Luna and Rolf's boys, Lorcan and Lysander, because I want them to be included in all of the Next Gen shenanigans! So that's why, in case anyone was curious.**

**IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER: These characters, though I love them thoroughly, are not mine. All characters mentioned (other than specified by me) belong to the wonderfully talented JK Rowling**

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><p><strong>CHAPTER THREE: PARTY AT THE BURROW<strong>

With showers taken, hair washed and party clothes on, Teddy and Mrs Tonks arrived at The Burrow with the re-made cake in a box. The box, made of thin green cardboard, was being held by Teddy, and had an anti-open charm placed upon the lid top stop any fingers from leaving trace marks and finger holes in the icing.

Hearing the music of The Weird Sisters emulating from the Weasley's back-garden, Teddy knew that this was going to be a good evening. He marched towards the front door and knocked, to have Mrs Weasley, with her ginger hair streaked with sliver, answer it with a large smile on her face, and open arms ready for a warm, motherly hug.

"Teddy! Lovely to see you dear," She kissed his cheek and patted his shoulder affectionately. "Take that cake through to the kitchen where Arthur will take it off of your hands."

"Okay," Teddy walked through the house, minding out of the way of Dominique chasing her cousin Lucy. Whizzing around, he stopped spinning and landed in font of Victoire, who was wearing a pearly-pink dress and her sliver-blond hair tied into a French plait. She didn't look too pleased.

"Hiya Vic," Teddy chirped; he placed the cake box near the other large trays of food. "What's wrong?"

Victoire huffed. "Maman had made me wear this stupid dress. It looks horrible on me: with my complexion, it makes me look ill."

Teddy nodded. "You don't have to worry about how it makes your complexion look," He smiled at her. "You look pretty nonetheless."

"But I don't feel pretty Teddy!" She exclaimed. "I want to wear jeans and a flattering top, not a frilly pink dress! I look like une poupée de Chine qui a s'asseoir sur une étagère tout le temps, a la recherche de jolie été attendre que quelqu'un me cherche et me ramener à la maison!"

"'Toire, English. I can't understand you when you staring rambling in angry French."

As if breaking out of a trance, Victoire nodded. "Okay. I said that I look like a China doll who just sits on a shelf all the time, looking pretty, and waiting for someone to pick me and take me home."

Teddy laughed. "Why don't you just tell your mum that you don't like to look like a china doll?"

"She's had enough of myself and Dom staring to act like boys, you know: messing around, getting muddy and fighting with our hands. She wants us to start acting like young ladies."

"Of course, your mum wants you two to act like ladies," Her father, Bill Weasley interrupted. "She'd like two girls and one boy in the house, not three boys."

"But Papa!" Victoire whined. "Playing quidditch and messing about with Uncle George's practical jokes isn't behaving like a boy."

"It isn't but that's what your mother has ingrained into my brain over the past six years." Bill laughed and went out to join the other adults.

Teddy and Victoire watched as Bill left them standing in the kitchen. "Adults are weird." Teddy said.

* * *

><p>Teddy had said hello to anyone and everyone who was at the party. He had met and been complimented by the Minister of Magic, Kingsley Shaklebolt; tidy hair mussed by a few of his mother's old school friends; cheek pinched by Augusta Longbottom and widely smiled at by both Neville and Hannah. Despite those alarming anecdotes, the night was going well.<p>

The older Weasley children, plus Teddy, and Luna Lovegood's two boys, Lorcan and Lysander, gathered by the garden-gnome patch to have a game of gnome tossing. Dom and Lysander were neck-and-neck, with three gnomes thrown between them; Dom had just grabbed hold of a particularly ugly gnome: its potato-like head covered with lumps and bumps. Holding the creature by the ankle, Dom began to swing herself around till the gnome was flung over the small hedge and landed several feet away from the tree stump, earning Dom a round of applause.

"Impressive Weasley," Lorcan said. He smirked as he leapt upon an unsuspecting gnome that had just popped its head out. "But try this against your girly swing!" Lorcan, without swinging, threw the gnome over the hedge, but instead of flying meters, like Lorcan had hoped, the gnome's foot had become caught in the hedge, so dangled amongst the twigs and branches, grumbling and squirming. His face fallen, Lorcan began to blush madly, making the boy look like a tomato; the other children scoffed and giggled, but seeing Lorcan's face, they all stopped and started to compliment him on his throw, and how getting the gnome tangled in the hedge.

"How are we going to get him out?" Roxanne questioned, prodding the hedge, and getting a loud grumble from the gnome.

"Just leave it," Lysander said. "I think he'll get himself out, but mum said that gnomes aren't that clever, but their saliva is quite good for creativity." Lorcan and Lysander's mother, Luna, was quite the eccentric witch, believing in all manner of strange and wonderful magical creatures; their father, Rolf, was the grandson of Newt Scamander, author of _Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them_ – a textbook used by Hogwarts students.

"Zere you are, Dominique!" Fleur came rushing towards the children. She grabbed Dom by the wrist and began pulling her towards the tent. "I 'ope zat you 'ave-ent been mezzing about weeth zose gah-nomes again. Zat iz no way to be'ave."

* * *

><p>"Hello everyone, and welcome to Teddy's eleventh birthday party!"<p>

"Thank you all for coming," Harry spoke. "I bet Teddy is quite grateful that all of you are here to celebrate with him, after all, it's not every day that a young man turns eleven, now, is it?"

There was a thundering laugh from the back. Everyone turned to see Hagrid, the gamekeeper at Hogwarts, heartily laughing at Harry's remark, as it was the same phrase he said to Harry over sixteen years previously.

"Anyway," Harry coughed. "Time for a little story." He took a small gulp from his glass of pumpkin juice. "Eleven years ago, I was on the run from He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. And one night, whilst staying at Number 12, Grimmuald Place in London, there was a knock on the door: it was Remus Lupin. He had come to give me some help, but also telling Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger and myself some news: that he and his wife, Nymphadora 'Don't Call Me Nymphadora' Tonks, were expecting a baby."

There were some coos from the crowd of people.

"And almost a year later, at the quaint Shell Cottage in Tinworth, on this night: Remus Lupin had come bursting through the door, telling everyone that Nymphadora had given birth to a healthy baby boy with colour-changing hair named Teddy Remus Lupin. If you all could raise your glasses," Harry spoke, raising his own. "I'd like to make a toast: to Edward Remus Lupin."

"To Edward Remus Lupin!" Everyone cheered and drank from their glasses.

"Thank you for bearing with me," Harry laughed. "I'd like to ask the birthday boy himself to come up and have a say."

Teddy's ears pricked up like a wolf's. Him? _Speaking_?! Was Uncle Harry out of his mind?! Before Teddy could protest, Victoire and Dom had grabbed his hands, and began to pull him towards the small stand.

"Err," Teddy began. His voice wasn't loud enough, that he knew, so he tried to speak up. "Thank you all for coming, I know you already heard that from Harry, but I am truly thankful for you being here. I'm surprised that this many people were going to be here: I just thought it would be the Weasley's, the Potter's, and my grandmother along with myself, enjoying a delicious cooked meal from Mrs Weasley. As in Molly Weasley, not Hermione, Angelina, or Fleur."

Everyone giggled and smirked.

"It's surprising to know that there are loads of people that care about me. I know I have my own family, but the rest of you that are here … wow: there are so many. Again, thank you all so much for coming tonight; but an even bigger thank you to Mr and Mrs Weasley who have let us be here, and for cooking the best food anyone has ever tasted." Teddy began to applaud them both, causing Mrs Weasley to star crying, and Mr Weasley to nod appreciatively towards Teddy. Nodding towards the applauding crowd, Teddy hastily left the stand, grabbing a small glass of homemade lemonade as he left. Letting the cool night air bring a warm glow to his cheeks, Teddy took a long swig of the lemonade, letting the sharp bubbles fizz on his tongue. Sighing, he looked into the night sky ad saw all the little stars twinkling and dancing in the inky sky.

Hearing an unfamiliar sound, other than the lively chatter from the tent; he grabbed a nearby gardening spade, and held onto it tightly. Slowly walking towards the sound, which was coming from the shed, Teddy raised the spade above his head and charged towards the shed, waving the spade around wildly like a madman, before noticing that it was an owl. Seeing that the owl had its foot ensnared in the brambles that stuck to the shed as if both had a magnetic attraction, Teddy dropped the spade and helped the poor owl out of the scratchy thorns.

"There you are," Teddy smiled and stroked the owl's feathers. "You're out now. Is that better?"

The owl affectionately nipped at Teddy's finger, and flew down to the ground, picking up its fallen cargo: a letter. Landing gently on Teddy's shoulder, the owl dropped the letter into Teddy's hands and flew off in a mad flutter of wings, and a small hoot. Looking at the letter, Teddy noticed a strange familiarity about it. Turning it over, he could see the envelope was addressed to him, and written in emerald green ink; turning it over again, Teddy could see the Hogwarts wax seal stamped to keep the letter shut. He couldn't believe it: that his letter had finally arrived. He'd been waiting nearly all day, every now and then glancing out of the windows for any sign of his letter arriving. And now his letter had finally arrived. Teddy looked at his reflection in the glass of the shed window, and could see that his hair was white as snow from shock.

At last, his Hogwarts letter had finally arrived.


	4. Chapter 4

**IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER: These characters, though I love them thoroughly, are not mine. All chracters mentioned (other than specified by me) belong to the wonderfully talented JK Rowling**

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><p><strong>CHAPTER FOUR: THE LETTER<strong>

Teddy stared at the letter. It was laid out in front of him, amongst his toast and orange juice; the two pieces of paper were orderly placed next to each other, as if they were soldiers guarding the toast rack. Teddy hadn't read the letter yet. Once he received the letter three months ago, he ran straight to his grandmother's side and began to wave the letter about, joy flying from every direction through his hand gestures. Everyone in the tent congratulated Teddy on his letter, and gave him different tips on how to get used to life at Hogwarts, how to get on the right side of teachers, and how to handle the reams and reams of homework that is handed out to students. Teddy pinned the letter to his cork pin-board and forgotten about it till he realised that the thirty-first of July was creeping closer and closer; it was the twenty-seventh when he unpinned the letter.

Mrs Tonks sat down next to him and rubbed Teddy' shoulder, making him jump a little. "Sorry to have scared you, Teddy." She giggled. "Are you going to read your letter? You've been staring at it for nearly ten minutes."

Teddy nodded. "I will, Gran, but I just can't quite believe it. I mean, I knew that it was going to arrive at some point, but I just didn't think that it would turn up like that."

"Everyone had their own special way of getting their letter, Ted," Mrs Tonks picked up his plate and placed it in the sink. "And you saving that owl's leg was your way of getting your letter. Your mother's letter was given to her by the family cat."

"Why the cat? Didn't they use owls when Mum was my age?"

"They did use owls, it was just this particular owl had somehow landed in the cat's basket, and I think was laying their next to the cat with a very surprised look on its face. Didn't stop terrorising the poor thing till your grandfather sent it on its way back."

"That sounded like something Errol would do," Teddy remarked.

"I think it was Errol, actually." She replied. "I don't know, most of the owls were a bit clumsy with their landings. I remember receiving my letter: the owl delivering it stormed through the window and smashed the glass; my mother wasn't too happy about it: she wrote a letter of complaint to the school when she sent a very bewildered owl back to Hogwarts."

Teddy laughed and picked up the first letter:

_HOGWARTS SCHOOL OF WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY_

_Headmistress: Minerva McGonagall_

_(Order of Merlin, First Class)_

_Dear Mr Lupin,_

_ We are pleased to inform you that you have a place at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary equipment. __Term begins on 1 September. We await your owl by no later than 31 July._

_Yours sincerely,_

_Filius Flitwick_

_Deputy Headmaster_

Mrs Tonks patted Teddy's shoulder. "I'll go find Beedle. She's probably around the chimney somewhere."

Teddy picked up the second piece of parchment:

_HOGWARTS SCHOOL FOR WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY_

Uniform

_First-year students will require:_

_1. __Three sets of plain work robes (black)_

_2. __One plain pointed hat (black) for day wear_

_3. __One pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar)_

_4. __One winter cloak (black, with silver fastenings)_

_Please note that all pupils' clothes should carry name tags_

Set Books

_All students should have a copy of each of the following:_

The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1) _by Miranda Goshawk_

A History of Magic (Revised) _by Bathilda Bagshot_

Magical Theory _by Adalbert Waffling_

A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration _by Emeric Switch_

One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi _by Phyllida Spore_

Magical Drafts and Potions _by Arsenius Jigger_

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them _by Newt Scamander_

The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection _by Quentin Trimble_

Other Equipment

_1 wand_

_ 1 cauldron (pewter, standard size 2)_

_ 1 set glass or crystal phials_

_ 1 telescope_

_ 1 set brass scales_

_Students may bring an owl OR a cat OR a toad_

_PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST-YEARS ARE NOT ALLOWED THEIR OWN BROOMSTICKS_

Teddy looked up from the parchment, and at his grandmother hopefully. "Can we go tomorrow, Gran?"

"No, not yet. Uncle Harry said he'd go with you to Diagon Alley when he wasn't busy."

"But he isn't now!" He whined.

Mrs Tonks placed her hands on her hips and knotted her eyebrows. "Edward, he is. Uncle Harry said so at dinner two weeks ago."

"What's he doing?"

"There was something about a rogue witch running rampant and had been terrorising muggles in the Scottish Highlands for over a month, and Harry said that he would hopefully be back by the end of this week, middle of August at the least."

"But I want to go! I want to go before it gets hectic!"

"I know you do. But, as a compromise to buying all your things for Hogwarts, why not we go out next Saturday to Diagon Alley, huh? What do you think?"

Teddy pondered the thought for a moment. "Yeah, that sounds fun. What we gonna do?"

Teddy had visited London before: he had broken his leg after falling off of his broom when he was seven, and had to be taken to St Mungo's by his grandmother.

* * *

><p>He woke up that morning feeling great. The sun was shining, the smell of bacon frying in the pan drifted from the kitchen, and the fresh smell of flowers wafting through his open window from the garden.<p>

Whipping his clothes on and running down stairs, Teddy was met with Harry Potter sipping from a mug of tea, and helping himself to a slice of toast.

"Uncle Harry!" Teddy ran to his godfather, hugging him tightly. "I thought you weren't coming back till the end of next week!"

"I thought so too," Harry smiled. "But we were able to handle that witch pretty easily, and she hadn't meddled with too many muggles, so there weren't that many minds to charm."

"I wish I was an Auror, they sound so cool!" Teddy was buzzing; seeing Harry after him being away for so long made him very happy, so much so that his joy changed his hair into a bright sunny yellow.

"Alright, alright, calm down, sparky, otherwise you'll explode." Harry laughed.

"But I feel like exploding, Uncle Harry, I just feel so excited!" Teddy was bouncing slightly, which Mrs Tonks would blame on the sugar in the muggle cereal that Teddy ate for breakfast, however it was the feeling of adrenaline racing through his body as if it were a rocket.

"You're ready to go?" Harry asked.

Teddy nodded, his head bobbed enthusiastically. "Yup."

"Andromeda, if you would so kindly make start on a fire, we're about to introduce Teddy into the Floo Network."

"The Floo Network?" Teddy sounded worried. "You sure about this, Uncle Harry?"

"Yup," He simply replied. "I tried it once myself when I was your age,"

"Really?"

Harry bobbed his head. "It was just before after my twelfth birthday that the Weasley and I had to travel to Diagon Alley by Floo,"

Teddy raised an eyebrow. "And what happened? Lemme guess: you ended up in Knockturn Alley instead?"

Harry remained silent.

"The fire's ready!" Mrs Tonks chirped. "Harry, why don't you show Ted how it's done, hm?"

Harry obliged, taking a large handful of powder that looked a lot like ash from the fireplace. "Right, all you have to do, Ted, is think of the place you want to go, and loudly and clearly say the name of that place. So if I were to say 'The Leakey Cauldron!'" Harry vanished in a burst of green flames and dust.

Teddy leapt back. "There is no way you're getting me to do _that_!"

"It's the easiest way to get to Diagon Alley, Ted," Mrs Tonks patted his shoulder. "Travelling by Floo is one of the safest methods, it's better than Portkey."

Teddy groaned and gazed at his grandmother with large, puppy-like eyes. "Do I have to?"

Mrs Tonks sighed and nodded her head.

Teddy sucked in a mouthful of air and gathered a large pile of Floo powder in his hand. Looking into the yellow flames, he paused. "Are these flames gonna hurt when I step into them?"

"No, you silly boy, I cast a flame-freezer charm, so you won't feel a thing."

Teddy gulped. "Good," He stepped into the flames, feeling them tickle against his skin. "I have to say the name?"

Mrs Tonks again nodded. "Yes, and don't forget to hold your breath, the Floo soot tastes horrible."

* * *

><p>Sharply in-taking air, Teddy imagined the Leakey Cauldron pub, and it's hangings of each Hogwarts house banner, the funny wizard who twirls his spoon around in his mug of tea, and the smiling face of Hannah Longbottom, with her blond curls and bright blue eyes. "The Leaky Cauldron!" He yelled, throwing the powder into the flames. In a sudden burst of green flames and dust, Teddy breathed in and held his breath as he felt air whistle around him, and a rushing sound filling his ears. His eyes were shut tight, hoping for no smoke or ash to enter, and make his eyes water.<p>

For what felt like a few moments, Teddy landed with a tumble into the Leaky Cauldron, covered in dust and ash. Shaking the powdery remains from his now russet hair, Teddy saw that he had landed in the middle of the Leaky Cauldron, receiving strange looks from the customers, or grumbles from elderly folk about the ruckus that he had caused their once peaceful afternoon.

"You alright Ted?" Harry asked, offering a hand to pull Teddy up.

Teddy dusted his clothes and nodded as a reply. "I think so. Just a little spooked I guess from the journey here."

Harry smiled and ruffled Teddy's blue hair. "Travelling by Floo, especially when inexperienced, is quite frightening, you'll get used to it the more times you attempt tackling it."

Another cloud of dust and ash spread from the fireplace, meaning that Mrs Tonks had arrived. She spluttered and coughed. "I've always hated travelling like that: too much ash for my liking." Mrs Tonks grumbled to herself as she pat her clothes down. "I said that we should have used a different way of getting here, but no, no: we go by Floo."

"I thought you liked using the Floo, Gran," Teddy spoke.

"I do, it's just very, very bothersome and is horrible to use when an unclean fireplace is used."

A little voice rose from behind the bar, and the clattering of pewter cups revealed a house elf with huge green eyes, rather like tennis balls, and an off-white pillowcase that draped down to its ankles. "Do not worry, Mistress, Missy will clean the fireplace immediately." The house elf set to work, like she had said, immediately, frantically sweeping up the dust from the floor.

"It is okay, Missy, you can stop," A soft voice echoed out from behind the bar again. Hannah Longbottom beamed widely as she walked out and embraced Harry. "It's very good to see you again, Harry. How's Ginny and the children?"

"All are doing well. James had caught a cold, and passed it onto Lily, so Ginny has had to suffer them for a few days."

"Aww. Give them my love and tell them I hope they get better soon."

"Will do."

Hannah walked behind the bar and started to fill two cups with butterbeer, and another with pumpkin juice. "So, what brings Harry Potter to Diagon Alley then?"

Harry took a sip of his drink and pointed at Teddy. "Hogwarts business, Hannah. Getting Teddy his school stuff today."

"Ah, I see. I remember getting my Hogwarts things, but then again, don't we all?" Hannah sighed.

Both Mrs Tonks and Harry nodded. "I bet Neville's getting a bit anxious at the moment, what with planning his lessons and all?" Mrs Tonks asked.

"Who's getting anxious?" Neville entered, his reading glasses askew on his nose.

"You are, love," Hannah said, kissing him on the cheek. "Harry was telling me that he's getting Teddy's Hogwarts things today.

"Ah, at last. Excited, Ted?"

Teddy finished his gulp of pumpkin juice and nodded madly. "Yup, can't wait!"

"What House do you think that you'll be in?"

He shrugged. "Not really sure. Fat chance for getting into Ravenclaw: you gotta be super bright, and I'm not. Gryffindor would be pretty cool, as would Hufflepuff, but I'd be annoyed if I'm placed in Slytherin."

Mrs Tonks swatted his arm. "I was in Slytherin, I'll have you know."

Teddy huffed. "Alright, maybe not _all_ Slytherins are bad, maybe it was just the Malfoy family."

"Ted, Dromeda: don't we have things to do? I've only got a few hours before I have to go back to the Ministry" Harry muttered.

"Ah, yes, of course," Mrs Tonks placed her glass and placed some galleons onto the bar. "Come along Edward."

"Oh, right," Teddy finished his drink, and placed it onto the bar. "Thanks for the drink, Hannah. See you in September Neville!"

They walked through the back door, into an alley that ended in a brick wall. Mrs Tonks produced her wand and tapped some bricks: two up, one across and two down. The pattern caused the bricks to move, revealing a doorway that lead to a long street full of witches and wizards. Teddy gazed at the sight in amazement; sure, he had been to Diagon Alley before, but never seen it like this.

"Welcome, Teddy," Harry said. "To Diagon Alley."


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: I'M SO SORRY! I forgot to upload last week as it was my mock week, so I was up to my eyeballs in revision. So this wee, you guys get a "I'm sorry" present of getting Chapter Five today instead of Thursday. By the way, this one is a little shorter than the others, but the next chapter will be the normal length. **

**IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER: These characters, though I love them thoroughly, are not mine. All characters mentioned (other than specified by me) belong to the wonderfully talented JK Rowling**

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><p><strong>CHAPTER FIVE: DIAGON ALLEY<strong>

With a wave of dust and bricks, Teddy saw Diagon Alley. It was filled with people: wizards, witches and muggles alike. All were darting through different shops, trying to buy Hogwarts supplies.

"Before we go anywhere," Harry said. "I have to run into Gringotts. You can come with me if you want to,"

"Sure," Teddy shrugged – he had never been to Gringotts before, but there is a first time for everything. He, Harry and Mrs Tonks walked down the main street of Diagon Alley, trying not to barge into people as they walked past.

They stopped at the giant oak doors of a glittering white building. As they walked up, Teddy saw that a glass dome on top of the building was still being repaired from the dragon escape over ten years ago, where Uncles Ron and Harry with Aunt Hermione escaped from Gringotts with the horcrux that was trapped in Helga Hufflepuff's cup. Two security wizards, who were dressed like muggle policemen, creaked the doors open for them, to a reveal a corridor darker than the path to Knockturn Alley. Harry soldiered forward, followed by Mrs Tonks, who pulled Teddy along: his shoes squeaking along the gleaming marble flooring.

Harry halted in front of a large desk; behind it, sitting in a padded chair, was a withered goblin, with dark eyes that sparkled like the jewels that he was studying, sharp teeth like needles, and long-nailed, clever fingers.

"Excuse me," Harry spoke.

The goblin did not look up.

"Excuse me," Harry raised his voice a little this time, causing a few heads to rise and turn to face him.

This time, the goblin looked up, sighing at the interruption. "Ah," The goblin sounded surprised. "The Boy who Lived Twice, how may I assist you today?"

"I'm here of my own accord, Master Longfinger," Harry explained. "I wish to withdraw some money from my vault, along with Mr Lupin's vault as well."

"Of course," Longfinger nodded. "May I ask that you present your wand, Mister Potter,"

Harry paused. "Why is that?"

"There have been a number of break-ins over the past month, and the Auror office has done nothing about this!"

Harry presented his wand. "I shall see to this immediately, Longfinger, I would like this matter to be resolved before there is another robbery reported."

Longfinger nodded again and shoved the wand back into Harry's hands. "Rasputin will show you three to your appropriate vaults."

A smaller goblin with bright, keen eyes, with a sharp-toothed grin set upon his face. "Sirs," He bowed. "And Lady. If you follow me," Rasputin bought them through a small antechamber, where sat in the middle a four-seated cart.

"You, sit." His voice, Teddy noticed, had a strange accent; he didn't know where, as his geography wasn't perfect, but he guessed that the goblin came from Bulgaria area.

The cart spun, whizzed, and twirled along the track. Teddy thought that the ride was great, but Mrs Tonks didn't think so: as the cart came to a stop outside Harry's vault, she looked positively green. Rasputin hopped out, opening his hand for the lamp.

"Lamp please," Harry passed him the lamp. Placing it down next to the door of the vault, he opened his hand out again. "Key please." Harry handed Rasputin the key, and with a small puff of green smoke, the vault was open. Nearly hundreds of cauldrons full of Galleons were seen, before that an over fifty cauldrons of Sickles, however, there was only twenty cauldrons that were full of Knuts. Harry produced a small sack from his pocket and picked out some handfuls of coins from some of the cauldrons.

They all left Harry's vault, and headed deeper into the bank for Teddy's vault, which was less of a sight than Harry's was. As his father wasn't very financially stable, and his mother was on the very verge of being unstable, they didn't have a lot of money to combine to make such a large vault not as full as it could have been: there were only ten cauldrons; only half were full of Galleons, three filled with Sickles and only two full of Knuts. Teddy tried to choose wisely when he picked out the money: two small handfuls from each cauldron, slipping the money into his grandmother's open purse.

Once leaving Gringotts, they headed toward Madame Malkin's to purchase Teddy's robes. Mrs Tonks joked with Madame Malkin about Teddy constantly increase in height: "He'll have to buy new ones by the time he goes to Hogwarts!"

Afterwards it was to Flourish and Blotts for school books; all the children and parents fawned over Harry, forever shaking his hand and telling tales about their school days. As they left, Harry had run into Oliver Wood, his wife Millie and his daughter Morgan: Oliver was pleased to see Harry after so many years, and his daughter, who was starting Hogwarts that same year, was taken with Quidditch like a fish to water: "Watch out for her on the pitch, Ted," Oliver had laughed. They all stuck to the Wood family before splitting off at Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour.

"Where to next, Ted?" Harry questioned as he finished off his ice-cream (chocolate and raspberry with chopped nuts).

Teddy licked the fudge from around his lips. "Um…. How about Ollivanders?"

_Ollivanders: Makers of Fine Wands since 382 BC_ was a narrow and shabby looking shop. Looking in the window, Teddy noticed a single wand had been placed on a dusty purple cushion.

"Come on Ted," Harry held the door open. "Let's find which wand chooses you."

The shop itself looked huge; hundreds of shelves reached up to the ceiling, all covered with dust and heavily laden with wand boxes.

"Hello?" Teddy called out timidly.

Suddenly, a small withered old man with eyes like moons seemed to have popped out of nowhere. "Ah, I was wondering when I would see you, Mr Lupin," He smiled.

"I remember like it was only yesterday that your mother and father were here buying their wands. Your mother's wand was quite astounding: mahogany and phoenix feather, twelve and a quarter inch; your father, on the other hand, seemed to have favoured a cypress wand: it suited him well, but then again, the wand chooses the wizard, Mr Lupin."

"Uh-huh," Teddy uttered.

Ollivander pulled out a small tape-measure, similar to what dress-makers used. "Which arm is you wand arm?"

"I'm left-handed." Teddy offered out his left arm, letting Ollivander measure it with the upmost precision.

"Of course. Now, let me see…" Ollivander wandered off deep into the shop, letting the little tape-measure continue its job. By the time that he had returned with his arms laden with three boxes, the tape-measure had begun to measure the length of Teddy's ears. "Try this one: maple and phoenix feather, eleven inches, swishy."

Teddy was handed a light-coloured wand, but it didn't seem to feel right in his hand. He waved the wand gently, only to have it shoot out of his hand like a bullet from a gun, clattering to the floor loudly, causing an echo.

Ollivander sighed, giving a small, hoarse laugh. "No my dear boy, that will not do." He opened another box, showing a black wand with a white flash at the bottom. "This wand is made of ash and unicorn core, ten and three-quarter inches, very brittle, it seems."

Again, the wand did not have the right sense of belonging in Teddy's hand. Before he could as so much bring the wand up to wave it, it was snatched out of his hand. "No, definitely not!" Ollivander proclaimed, placing the wand back into its box. The final box was opened, revealing a burgundy coloured wand with strange markings covering it from the tip to the bottom. "This one is a rather special wand, having being made from cherry and dragon heartstring; it is twelve and a quarter inch long, and it has a hard nature to it, meaning that this wand has a very sturdy connection to its owner."

Having it placed in his hand, Teddy felt a sudden sense of warmth and a tingling feeling within his fingers. "This feels like the one," Teddy smiled.

"Give it a wave then!" Ollivander crooned.

Bringing the wand to shoulder height, Teddy gave the gentlest of waves before stars and sparkles where shooting out of the tip of the wand, illuminating the dark shop.

Harry, Mrs Tonks, and Ollivander all applauded the magic that was before them. "Well done, my boy! Well done!" Ollivander took the wand from Teddy's hand, placing it back into it box and wrapping it up, giving the package a large red sticker to hold the brown paper in place.

Mrs Tonks stood outside of Eyelop's Owl Emporium and Magical Menagerie. Hearing the little bronze bell tinkle, she turned to discover that Teddy was carrying a cat basket with a little black cat with one yellow eye and the other green, whilst Harry was the last one to come out of the door with an owl cage, carrying a beige coloured owl that had its head tucked under its wing.

"Good gracious Edward!" Mrs Tonks exclaimed. "How on earth did you buy both of them? Professor McGonagall will not be best pleased at this sight!"

"Don't get your knickers in a twist, Nan!" Teddy grinned. "The cat is for you! It's so you don't get lonely in the house whilst I'm gone! Her name's Helga."

Mrs Tonks didn't like the idea that Harry had bought two pets, but on the trip to Pottage's Cauldron Shop, Harry had put her mind at ease, informing her that Teddy was the one to purchase the cat, not him, and that the owl was another belated birthday gift, to which Mrs Tonks rolled her eyes at, saying "You spoil that boy rotten, Harry Potter."


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: I am so sorry that this is later than I expected it to be! I'm really sorry guys! School's getting a little hellish atm, so unfortunately I'm having to put my studies first. But I am going to try and update as regularly as I can, so sometimes there might be a good few weeks between each chapter.**

**IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER: These characters, though I love them thoroughly, are not mine. All characters mentioned (other than specified by me) belong to the wonderfully talented JK Rowling.**

**OCs: Carrie Diggory, Stefan Keenan-Lindsay, and Jemima Keenan-Lindsay**

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><p><strong>CHAPTER SIX: THE HOGWARTS EXPRESS<strong>

Teddy looked at the wall, and gulped.

"And you're one hundred per-cent sure that I'm going to make it through the wall?"

Harry nodded, gripping hold of Teddy's hands that lay on the handle of the trolley. "Yes, I'm positive. Now all you have to do is run, then you'll be on Platform Nine and Three-Quarters. Ready?"

Teddy looked at his godfather straight in his eyes. "Ready."

Closing his eyes, Teddy felt his feet thump against the concrete of King's Cross Station, as he and Harry charged toward the wall between Platform Nine and Ten.

Upon opening them again, Teddy marvelled in the beauty of Platform Nine and Three-Quarters. Wheeling the trolley further down the platform, he saw all the different students, now and old; all the different noises that came from the hooting owls, the hissing cats, and the croaking toads; and gazed at the Hogwarts Express, with the gleaming burgundy and black colours of it shining in the autumnal September sunlight.

"C'mon Ted," Harry spoke. "Let's get your stuff onto the train."

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><p>The train whined and whistled as it alerted the people on the platform of the time.<p>

There was a mad rush of kisses goodbye, hugs, and the quick exchange of small items as Hogwarts students began to board the train. Teddy, clamped onto Harry, buried his face into his godfather's coat. "You will write, won't you, Uncle Harry?" He asked.

Harry smiled and sighed whilst ruffling Teddy's deep blue hair (a colour it takes when Teddy becomes upset). "Of course I will! I can't promise that my letters will be weekly, you know that, but I swear that I will always write."

"What about you, Nan?" Teddy looked toward his grandmother.

"I'll write every day, if you want me to," She giggled. "But promise me that there will be no Howlers flying through my windows."

Teddy wickedly beamed. "Well, I can't promise _that_ now, can I?"

Mrs Tonks kissed Teddy's hair. "Run along quickly now, Edward, before you miss that train."

Teddy smiled as he ran toward the nearest door, hanging out of it as the train began to move out of the station. "Bye Nan! Bye Uncle Harry!"

Harry and Mrs Tonks waved till the train vanished in large clouds of steam; the whistling of the train reverberating off of the stone walls of the station.

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><p>Teddy walked along the train, hoping to find an empty compartment to sit in till the train reached Hogsmeade. His music player earbuds tucked securely into his ears, blasting out The Bent Winged Snitches' newest album release, Teddy wandered further down the train till he found the emptiest compartment on the express: a girl with curly ash-blonde hair sat crossed-legged, staring out of the window contently; a second girl with long, dark hair playing chess with herself; and a boy, like the second girl, with dark hair and glasses, fiddling with a Rubik's Cube. Huffing, he opened the door, only to get wide-eyed stares from everyone in the compartment.<p>

"Hi." Teddy spoke, breaking the pregnant silence that had risen. "Do you mind if I sit in her? This is the only compartment with any space."

"Sure," The dark-haired girl said. "I'm Jem, by the way. It's short for Jemima."

"I'm Jemima's brother, Stefan," Stefan, now named, offered his hand out, which Teddy took.

The other girl spoke up with her small voice. "I'm Carrie."

"I'm Teddy: Teddy Lupin." He said. "So... You guys nervous for tonight?"

Jem shrugged. "I'm excited, but just a little curious as to what is going to happen at the sorting."

"Yeah," Stefan nodded. "Our elder sister, Tessa, told me and Jem that her sorting was horrid: you had to take this really hard test, and if you didn't pass, they have to throw you to the Giant Squid in the Black Lake."

Teddy rose an eyebrow. "Really? What about you," He turned to Carrie. "Any rumours about the sorting?"

"Not really. I haven't really had any contact with the wizarding world since my dad and brother died, so yeah, I've had to hear everything from other students on the platform."

Stefan was agog, whilst Teddy seemed aghast.

"You're a Muggle-Born, then?" Stefan exclaimed.

Carrie glared at Stefan; her brown eyes boring holes into his head. "Half-Blood, actually. My dad was the wizard, and my mum was the muggle. After my father died in the Second Great Wizarding War, along with my older brother Kieran, my mum ran away and hid. When I was born she hoped that didn't have any magic liek ym dad, which I can understand why: she was scared of course. When my letter came, she was terrified: she tried to do everything in her power to make me stay at home, luckily Professor McGonagall came to calm her down, and explained that Hogwarts and the wizarding world was safe again."

"Oh." Stefan looked at his feet in a mixture of shame and embarrassment. "Sorry."

Carrie gave a small smile. "That's okay. At least you three know, but then again, I'm going to have to explain all that again to the poor girls I'll be sharing a room with. Speaking of rooms, what houses do you think that you guys will be sorted into?"

Jem looked at her feet, as did Stefan. "Slytherin." He said bluntly. "All our family have been sorted into Slytherin for nearly four hundred years."

Teddy opened his mouth and blurted: "Hufflepuff, Gryffindor, or Slytherin."

"Jeez," Jem spoke. "You've got three options open there, mate."

"Where do you think you'll be sorted?" Carrie asked.

"Fingers crossed not Slytherin. I have had family in that house who are horrid, horrid people."

"Well, you have the makings of a Hufflepuff and a Gryffindor in you, Teddy. You could be a Gryffinpuff!" Carrie giggled.

Stefan and Teddy looked at Carrie as if she had two heads; Jem giggled also.

"A what?"

"Oh, never mind. It's a word I made up: it refers to someone who has the qualities of two houses."

"Oh!" Teddy and Stefan muttered in unison.

They all looked between each other. Teddy scoffed and began laughing, Stefan, Jem, and Carrie following suit.

Suddenly, the squeak of wheels, and the ever calling voice of "Anything from the trolley?!" rang out from the interior walls of the walkway. Luckily, Teddy left the compartment door ajar, so when the trolley-lady arrived, with a sweet smile and the "Anything from the trolley, dears?" moment passed, Teddy pulled out a small wallet that was nearly full of galleons, sickles, and knuts.

"We'll have sixteen Chocolate Frogs, twelve boxes of Bertie Botts, eight Cauldron Cakes, four Licorice Wands, and four Pumpkin Pasties, please?" Teddy reeled off the list, ever now and then catching surprised glimpses from Carrie's face.

With help fro Stefan, Teddy was able to take the great load of sweets into the compartment, slamming the door behind them both with his foot. Laying the bounty of confectionery delights before them all, they stared, drinking in the sight of the sweet. "Bugger! I almost forgot!" Teddy mumbled, before reaching into his bag, pulling out the box of charmed sweets that Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione gave him back on his birthday; placing the box amongst the other sweets, he grinned, "Ta-da!" Teddy exclaimed, grabbing a box of Bertie Botts and flopping down into his seat. "Enjoy the feast! It'll get you guys ready for what's to come later."

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><p>The sky had begun to darken when the express pulled into Hogsmeade. The new first years all gathers by their respective windows and gaazed out, trying to catch a glimpse of Hogwarts.<p>

Teddy, Stefan, Carrie, and Jem arrived on the platform dressed in their new school uniforms, and still recovering from their sugary overload only a few hours before. They were jostled by passing students, and watched as the older years found other means of transport to the castle; Teddy noticed that the carriages housing fifth years were pulled by invisible things, but realising what was actually there was all the more saddening. "Thestrals," He mumbled.

"What?" Carrie asked.

"Thestrals are pulling those carriages, but they can only be seen by those who have seen death."

Carrie gaped. "That's awful. So those poor creatures never get noticed?"

"Yup."

"Again, that's awful. Those poor, poor creatures."

"Wha' creatures we talkin' 'bout, then?" The booming voice of the Game Keeper, Hagrid, loomed over the heads of the first years.

There was a mixture of gasps of awe and fear from the conjugated group of students, for they never expected such a man to be at a school.

"I'm Hagrid, an' I'll be bringin' you lot down ter Hogwarts, where y'all will be passed to the safe 'ands of Professor McGonagall." He said. Looking down, he noticed a familiar face. "Hello Ted."

"Hiya Hagrid."

"Excited fer the sortn'?"

"Yeah, I think we all are, really."

"Righ'. You lot, c'mon and follw me down ter the boats, now mind you don't ge' lost!" Hagrid called, and trudged along a mossy path that led to a small dock, where hundreds of boats laid in wait for the students. "Now, either two or three to a boat. No jostlin', you two!" Hagrid shouted to two boys.

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><p>As the boats bobbed alnog the water, there was vey little chatter amongst the new first years. They all gazed in wonder at their new destination, taking in all the sights, the new smells, and the news sounds that would make Hogwarts feel like a second home.<p>

There was a small cry of "Look! Over there!" as a red-headed girl pointed out toward the castle that was now coming into view.

Teddy felt a feeling of warmth spread throguh his being, feeling like Hogwarts had already made a connection with him: the connection between and his parents was now becoming stronger every second as it ebbed and flowed in his heart. He felt like that he could call Hogwarts one thing.

Home.


End file.
